


A Work of Art

by lovestage69



Series: Mark of a Soulmate [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Anime, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, AsaNoya - Freeform, Boys In Love, Boys' Love, Cats, Coffee, Coffee Shops, Cuddles, Cuddling & Snuggling, Feelings, Fluff, KageHina - Freeform, Kawaii, KuroKen - Freeform, Loneliness, Love at First Sight, M/M, OTP Feels, Panic Attacks, Sleepy Cuddles, Slow Build, Smut, Social Anxiety, Strangers to Lovers, Tattoos, Tea, True Love, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, daisuga - Freeform, haikyuu!! - Freeform, iwaoi - Freeform, tsukkiyama - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-06
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-10 09:19:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3285026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovestage69/pseuds/lovestage69
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where when you meet your soul mate an alluring mark(tattoo) that represents them is etched onto your body. As cliché as it sounds the boys of Haikyuu are faced with the adventure of figuring out who their soul mate is and what to do with their strange new tattoo. They will also be faced with the excitement and stress of college, side jobs, and trying to fit in.  How far will they go to find their soul mate?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Sting of Loneliness

**Author's Note:**

> Hello(:  
> Thanks for clicking this story! This is my very first fan fiction I'm writing so please bear with me /.\ Please leave feedback if you see anything I should fix, how you like the story, or what you want to happen. I'm really excited to be writing this story. The amazing person that gave me this idea is located on tumblr at bokkuroo. (Thank you so much for letting me use your tattoo idea lovely). Anyways I hope you enjoy this story there will be other stories like this but with other headcanons(:  
> My first chapter is going to start off with Kenma and Kuroo (KuroKen) So prepare yourself for all of this.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroken: Kenma and Kuroo
> 
> Binge studying and constant coffee was what Kenma lived off of once he got into college. He didn't have time to make friends and have his heart broken. Kenma was used to the sting of loneliness. He was comfortable in his noiseless world. It was better to lock yourself away from everyone else. It was less pain, or so Kenma thought until his fateful encounter with a tall cat-like man could possibly change his noiseless world leaving them both with marks etched into their bodies connecting them to each other.

The familiar aroma of spices, and the soft hum of the coffee machine was always calming to Kenma. He could always find serenity in the small coffee shop. It was rarely ever crowded in the small shop so he loved to go there when he often felt troubled or had to study. Today wasn't like those other days though. He felt very anxious and lonely, like everything was out of place. Not that it phased Kenma since he was used to this feeling of uncertainty. He was always alone so why was it bothering him today?

Kenma ordered his Venti Chai Tea w/ a shot of espresso and opened tumblr on his phone as he waited. A strange text post popped up that caught his attention, **'There is an ancient story that when you meet your soul mate an alluring mark(tattoo) that represents them is etched onto your body. Have you found your soul mate and gotten your binding mark?'** Kenma scoffed and rolled his eyes at the text post on his phone. "Yeah right like that would ever happen." Kenma mumbled and exited out of the app and pulled up a game to play. The text post made his weird feeling even worse.

"I have so much to study today." Kenma reminded himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling another migraine starting. He decided he would go back to his colleges library to study for his semester exams instead of staying at the coffee shop. He just couldn't shake the weird feeling and now his mind was wandering into unwanted territory. "Not again" he thought as he tried to push the feeling to the back of his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut as the thoughts started to cloud his mind.

"Your always alone Kenma, what's new?"  
"No one notices you."  
"You're invisible."

Since Kenma was little he was never good at making any friends. The kids always thought Kenma was weird and boring. They constantly avoided him, so Kenma stuck to playing his video games. Throughout his high school years he was always teased for being alone all the time but it didn't sway him. He grew up with the familiarity of being alone. He liked his little noiseless world. Kenma never allowed himself the chance to get hurt by friends who would turn on him. He never let anybody get close to him. It was easier that way, or so he thought. The loneliness was starting to become dreadful for him. 

"Venti Chai Tea w/ an espresso shot for Kenma", he heard the barista call cheerfully. The blonde woman flashed him a smile as he took his drink and mumbled a quick thank you and left the coffee shop. As he headed out the coffee shop he put in his headphones and gingerly sipped on his drink. He turned the music up louder as he tried to drown out all the thoughts. "I don't want to have a panic attack today. Not again", he thought. Kenma noticed that his hands were starting to shake but he ignored it. It was probably just the espresso kicking in.

Kenma had a bad habit of overthinking everything. It was just something he always did. He would always study extra hard for tests and push himself to his breaking point. One time he stayed up for 3 days straight trying to perfect his English exam. The only thing he got up for during that time was to pee and get more coffee. Kenma knew it was an unhealthy habit but he couldn't stop it. He just had to get everything done. He can't remember the last time he's had a normal meal or even a full nights rest. His hands we're constantly trembling from the caffeine flowing in his system. The thoughts that haunted him added to his stress and overthinking. Kenma constantly thought, "When will this nightmare stop..."

 

It took Kenma a whole 15 minutes to get back to his college dorm room. When he got back to his room he wasn't surprised to see that his roommate Hinata wasn't there. He was probably out disturbing everyone with his loud bubbly personality. Kenma rolled his eyes and laughed as he thought of the time Hinata was bouncing around and jumping so much that he knocked over a bunch of books in the library and got himself kicked out for a whole week for "Disturbing the peace!" 

Hinata was Kenmas very first friend that actually tried to get to know him. Kenma almost made it into the first few weeks with ignoring his new roommate but Hinata didn't allow that. Hinata tried everything to get Kenma to talk to him but Kenma just ignored him and always left when Hinata was in the room. Eventually Kenma gave up one day and talked to the walking ball of sunshine, he still doesn't know why he did but he was glad for doing so. "Why won't you talk to me Kenma! What did I do wrong?" Hinata whined. "Y-you didn't do anything wrong." Kenma mumbled. Hinata was so happy that Kenma had finally spoken to him that he was literally bouncing off the walls. "OH MY GOSH KENMA YOU ACTUALLY SPOKE TO ME AFTER WEEKS OF BEING MY ROOMATE!!" At this point Hinata was jumping on his bed like an ecstatic toddler. Kenma was trying desperately to hold in his giggling. Kenma didn't know what to say. "I didn't know you wanted to talk to me that bad." Kenma quietly said. "Of course I did I still do! I want to hang out and talk more with you Kenma!" Hinata beamed at Kenma. Kenma thought this over and smiled to himself. "Thank You Hinata. M-maybe we could go get coffee or something." Kenma nervously spoke to the bubbly boy still bouncing on his bed. "Oh My Gosh Yes!" Hinata jumped of the bed and enveloped Kenma into a tight hug. Kenma was pleased with himself, that he didn't actually mess anything up in that moment.

After Kenma stood there in the doorway reminiscing for about 5 minutes he finally came to his senses and remembered what he was supposed to do. He grabbed his studying materials, highlighters, sticky notes and repeatedly checked to make sure he had everything before he left. His pale ice cold hands started to shake again as he picked up his Chai Tea to place in his free hand. He ignored it as usual but reminded himself he needed to eat something when he got back. 

He left his dorm room and briskly walked to the library. When got into the library room he went to his usual spot upstairs where all the old books were. He liked this spot because rarely anybody came up here except for a tall guy with messy black hair. It made him feel calm knowing not many people were up here except for the tall guy. Kenma softly placed all his supplies on the table along with his drink. He plopped down into the chair and pinched the bridge of his nose, his migraine was getting worse by the minute. "I have way too many exams in two days and way too much to study." he mumbled bitterly to himself. Kenma decided to start with his English first since it was something he was semi-good at. He got through annotating about 10 pages and writing an essay before switching to another subject which was some sort of math he didn't comprehend at all. 

10 half-solved problems later Kenma started to feel himself trembling. He had so much to study for in such little time. He looked at the clock and it read 1:35 am. "How did it get so late?!" Kenma thought to himself. The unwanted thoughts started clouding up his mind. "I'm going to fail everything. I don't know what to do..." He frantically thought. He felt sweat start to build up on his cold hands and his face. His breath got stuck in his throat and he found himself not being able to breathe except for short sporadic breaths. His hands started to violently tremble as tears started pricking at his eyes, clouding his vision. He suddenly felt extremely dizzy and covered his trembling hands over his face. He found himself rocking and trying to get himself to breath but he couldn't. His thoughts decided to chime in at that moment, "How can you not breathe Kenma? A task so simple yet you cant even do it." 

Kenma started choking on sobs and trying to get himself to breathe again but his lungs weren't allowing him to gather any air. He suddenly felt his hands being pulled from his face. He was met with shocking cat-like eyes and jet black bed-head hair. It was the boy that was always up here. Kenma tried to move his hands back over his face but the guy wouldn't let him. 

"M-make it s-stop." Kenma stuttered out with little breath he had.

"Kenma breathe. I need you to breathe for me. Please." The guy with black hair calmly said. 

"M-make i-it s-sstop." Kenma sobbed. 

"I need you to calm down. Breathe in okay. Hold it in and we're going to count down from Five okay?" Kenma nodded and did what he said. He took a deep breath in and the guy leaned closer and started counting down. 

"..Five. Four. Three. Two. One.. Now breathe out and, Five. Four. Three. Two. One." Kenma did so and felt his chest loosen up a bit and his throat clear. He gasped as cool air started to fill his lungs up. He felt tears slowly spilling from his eyes. His body started to come back into his control and his eyes started to focus in on everything especially on the person in front of him.

"Again," the guy said softly holding Kenmas hands in his while rubbing circles into the backs of his hands. 

"..Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Now slowly breathe out..Five. Four. Three. Two. One." Kenma felt his shoulders drop as he started to breathe normally again his chest still felt tight but he took another deep breath and counted in his head on his own. He sniffled and closed his eyes breathing in and out slowly.

"Now that you've calmed down. Are you okay?" The guy asked with a soft calming voice. Kenma started to feel a stinging pain leading from his neck down his back. His head got dizzy again and he wobbled forward and tightened his grip on the guys hands as his eyes started to black out. He heard a distant but near voice calling his name.

"Kenma, breathe. Please keep breathing its going to be okay." Kenmas heart started pounding and he started shaking again. He didn't know what was going on. 

"Why can't I see anything Kenma thought?" He felt the guy wrap his arms around his body and all of the sudden Kenma was lifted into the air and was overwhelmed by the warmth of another body but instantly felt at home and calmed down. The warmth of the person made Kenma feel safe, like he would be okay. "So this is what it feels like to be close to somebody." Kenma thought. After a couple seconds Kenma felt himself drift off to sleep and snuggle into the warmth of the persons arms.

 

Kenma opened his eyes to a white ceiling. He jolted up in bed and felt a sting down his back and cringed but ignored it. He thought for a minute, "This isn't my bed? What's going on?" He looked around and there was the guy with jet black bed-head hair sitting in a chair asleep next to the bed. He looked around the room and then back to the sleeping boy. Kenma noticed that the boy was a very cute person but he'd never say that aloud to him. Kenma noticed a bathroom door in the corner of the room and quietly got out of the bed.

When he sat up his back started to sting again and he cringed. "Why is my back stinging so much." He questioned in his mind. He walked to the bathroom quietly and locked the door behind him. He found a mirror on the sink counter and figured he could use it to check his back. He curiously pulled off his shit with ease. "Wait this isn't my shirt." Kenma mumbled as he placed the big black shirt on the sink counter. 

Kenma turned around and faced the wall picking up the hand held mirror looking in it to see his back in the bathroom mirror. What Kenma saw nearly made him faint again. He saw black cat-like paw prints etched into his back leading from his neck down his back and ending above his tail bone. "What the hell happened when I passed out?" Kenma said with his shaky voice. He trailed one of his skinny cold fingers over the cat paw print. The mark was absolutely breathtaking but how the hell did this happen.

After staring at the mark for about 5 minutes he put the black shirt back on and walked back to the bed. The boy was still sound asleep in the chair. Kenma gently poked him in the shoulder. The boys eyes fluttered open and he rubbed the back of his hands into his eyes and stretched. He suddenly realized what was going on and jerked himself into a sitting position facing Kenma. Kenma was the first one to break the silence. 

"U-uhm." Kenma stuttered and also tried to gather his words. "W-where am I? and w-what happened?" he said softly to the boy. The boy suddenly became more aware of everything. He scratched the back of his neck, blushed, and looked away.

"Y-you we're having a panic attack and I was the only other person upstairs in the library and I've always noticed you there by yourself for a w-while now and so I was trying to calm you down. After I helped you fix your breathing, you seemed okay but then something happened. Out of no where you fainted into my arms and so I uh carried you here.. I'm uh Kuroo by the way." Kuroo seemed very jittery he kept itching that back of his neck. Kenma noticed that he sort of resembled a cat in a way. His jet black messy hair and his cat-like eyes lured you in making you want to know more about him. He seemed like a very mysterious, yet calming person.

"I-uh.. I'm so sorry for troubling you." Kenma covered his face with his hands instantly feeling his face heat up with embarrassment. Kuroo seemed very confused and didn't know why the boy was apologizing. He pulled Kenmas hands away from his face gently squeezed them. He game Kenma a reassuring smile and said, "It's no trouble. I'm just glad your okay now. A-are you okay? How are you feeling?"

Kenmas face started to turn red from the contact and he looked away as he started to talk and immediately looked Kuroo dead in the face. "D-did you give me a tattoo in the middle of the night? B-because I have cat paw prints leading down my back stopping at my tailbone and it didn't show up until I met yo-" Kenmas words caught dead in his throat from what he just said. His mind raced back to the text post he saw this morning, **' -when you meet your soul mate an alluring mark(tattoo) that represents them is etched onto your body.'**

Kuroo's mind was wandering. He always wanted to get cat paw prints somewhere on his body but he never knew where to get them. Kuroo stared back at Kenma with wide eyes and mouth slightly open still squeezing the smaller boys hands. "No I didn't give you a tattoo! K-Kenma a tattoo showed up on me also while I was asleep but on the inside of my wrist..." Kuroo showed the smaller boy the inside of his wrist and what shocked Kenma was not that he had a tattoo also, but that the tattoo was a symbol of the retro game controller Kenma used to have when he was little.

"K-kuroo have you heard about the ancient story that says when you meet your soul mate you get a mark etched into your body?... I just found this out yesterday and I didn't think it was possible b-but what if..." Kenma quietly spoke to the cat-like boy. Kuroo was closely watching Kenma, he could feel the smaller boys hands trembling in his. He squeezed them a little. Kuroo felt at peace with this boy, he doesn't know what it is but he feels attracted to him like a magnet. Kuroo thought he was strangely adorable with his small figure and golden eyes that warmed you to the core. Kuroo wanted to know more about the boy. He wanted to know every little crevice and dark spot inside of him. He wanted to make him feel special and give him the attention he needed. He felt the need to protect this smaller boy.

Kuroo cleared his throat bringing himself back to reality. "What if the story is true? What if we are destined to be soul mates? What would you say about that cutie?" Kuroo smiled softly at Kenma. 

"Cause I mean this must mean something, for us to meet like this and then randomly get these wicked ass tattoos." Kuroo grinned at him and it made Kenma blush and look away.

"I-I wouldn't know what to do or where to start?... I'm not good at making friends or let alone dating anyone..." Kenma softly said to Kuroo who was intently watching him. Kenma thought this boy was very strange. It made Kenma think, "Who would want to be my soul mate?", but Kuroo made Kenma feel complete in a way no one has. He felt warmth being here with him. It wasn't something Kenma was used to and he was curious to figure out what could happen with the both of them. 

"How about we start with coffee and breakfast?" Kuroo smiled at Kenma as he rubbed circles into Kenmas cold hands. Kenma looked at him and bit his lip, obviously thinking over what Kuroo just said. 

"O-okay" Kenma quietly said looking up to meet gentle eyes still looking at him. Kenma wouldn't mind trying to figure out this strangely handsome cat-like person. Maybe Kuroo would be the one that never leaves and breaks down Kenmas noiseless world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first time writing the type of fanfiction so I hope you guys enjoy it(: Please leave me feedback on what you think about this story and what you would want to possibly see in the next couple chapters. Well anyways Thank You for taking the time to read this. I'll post the 2nd chapter sometime in the next week so if you like this story subscribe or bookmark it. (Thank you to bokkuroo on tumblr who let me use her tattoo idea <3)


	2. The Pain of Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and Kenma have breakfast together; which leads to emotional talks about the past and present. Will they find out they have more in common than they think, or will they continue to lead the lives they've made for themselves? One day can change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I haven't been able to update lately. I've had so many tests and I've been going to the gym a lot and I've just felt really shitty about myself lately. Anyways, here is an update and I'll try to update real soon and find time to put aside. I hope you guys enjoy this story and the ups and downs of me making it. Hah. But Thank You for reading this fic(: Have a good day you lovely people. Come find me on tumblr at lovestage69.

> I knew we were tied by the red string of fate just by the look in your eyes and the feeling in my heart...

Kenma sat at the kitchen bar contently watching Kuroo as he fixed the two of them breakfast. It was quiet and peaceful in the kitchen. All you could hear was the drip of the coffee machine and Kuroo humming while whisking eggs, along with the sizzling of bacon in the frying pan. The scene gave off a very warm and homey feeling. Kenma liked this feeling, he wished he could soak all of it in for a while longer. Then it brought him to thinking back on the last time someone had fixed him a home made meal (which was a very very long time). He had been running off of boxed foods from the local store or most days just coffee and tea. Kenmas stomach started to growl at the thought of food and it startled both of the boys in the kitchen. 

"I guess someone's hungry!" Kuroo laughed out while he finished up cooking eggs.

"Mm yeah.. I kinda haven't had a home made breakfast in a while or food for that matter..." Kenma mumbled out while trying to hide his face.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It fuels you're body and keeps you going." Kuroo turned around and smiled at Kenma and handed him a plate of food and set down a glass of water along with it. Kenma moved nervously and mumbled a quick "Thank You" and started nibbling at his food. 

After about ten awkward minutes passed and Kuroo wanted to talk about last night but didn't really know how to bring up the topic. Then something clicked in his mind. He then cleared his throat and spoke softly to Kenma as not to startle him. Kuroo figured the blonde boy was easily startled so he chose to use a softer tone.  
"So how often do you have panic attacks like the one last night? If that is too much of a hard topic we can talk about something else instead. I don't want you to feel pressured to talk about anything."

Kenma had forgotten all about last night until Kuroo reminded him. His hands started to shake again and he started fidgeting with his hands to keep himself distracted. He didn't want to think about all of the bad times he spent in the bathroom trying to calm himself down. He didn't want to remember the pain of being numb to everything, how the thoughts seemed to creep into the dark corners of his mind and suffocate him. Kenma knew that he needed to talk to someone about it. Then he wondered, would it hurt to talk to Kuroo about this since he is meant to be his "soul mate"? 

Kenma decided on talking to him about it. Kuroo just gave off this aura that made Kenma feel like he could trust him. The blonde boy started to talk quietly, "I-I used to get them a lot when I worked myself too much or just get too stressed over a subject... they get really bad to where I black out and don't realize what I'm doing to myself of what's going on." Kenma stopped talking for a moment and Kuroo wondered if he was finished but then he continued. "They stopped for a while but last night was the first one I've had in a while..." Kenma stared at his glass of water and started running his skinny finger along the rim in attempt to distract himself from thinking too much but it didn't help.

"I really don't want them to start happening again b-but it doesn't really matter I guess, I always find a way to get through it on my own. I mean I've always been alone in this so I'll be fine." Kenma tried to act okay about everything but Kuroo could see straight through Kenmas façade. Kuroo knew all too well the feeling of being alone. The feeling of hopelessness and constant pressure to be someone you're not.

"I understand exactly what you mean so you don't have to hide anything around me. You don't need to put up a front and fake being okay. If you ever want to talk about anything or need anyone I'm here to help." Kenma turned his gaze away from Kuroo suddenly embarrassed. 

"How do you understand? Nobody ever seems to really understand." Kenma quietly spoke while fidgeting in his seat then looked up at Kuroo.

Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck like he felt uncomfortable. "What I mean is I know what its like to feel helpless and lost and the pain of the pressure to fit in. I've had to deal with it for so long. Dealing with everybody's expectations and trying so hard to be what people want me to be but failing in the end. I've been surrounded by so many people yet in the end I've always been alone also." Kuroo glanced at Kenma and gave him a sad smile. Kenma looked so fragile and broken to him. He had the urge to hug the smaller boy but he chose against it. He wanted to understand more about him. He wanted to know what they had in common, what his favorite color was, if he liked animals, what his favorite food was, he wanted to learn the little things that not many people got to know or understand. 

"I'm Sorry." The smaller boy spoke as if he had done something wrong leaving Kuroo confused and knitting his eyebrows. All you could hear in the small kitchen was the tick of the clock and the soft breathing of the two boys. 

"What are you apologizing for?" Kuroo was completely confused. He didn't understand why Kenma was apologizing.

"I feel like its my fault that we got into this subject and I don't want to trouble you." Kenma covered his face with his shaky hands not wanting to look at the taller boy. 

Kuroo softly pulled one of Kenmas hands down and spoke to him quietly in a comforting way. "You don't need to be sorry for anything. I was the one who brought up the panic attacks so I should be apologizing. If it'll make you feel better we could talk about something else?" Kenma noticed that the hand Kuroo used to pull away his hand from his face was the one with the mark of the retro game controller on it. He removed his other hand from his face and softly ran his skinny fingers along the mark on the cat-like boys skin. Kuroo glanced down when he felt Kenma touch his wrist. 

"I still don't understand why we got these." Kenma stated still touching the mark on Kuroos soft skin. He was so mesmerized by the small tattoo that held a huge meaning in his life that the other didn't know about.

"I don't understand it either but I feel like it happened for a reason." Kuroo smirked at Kenma causing him to blush.

"And what reason could that possibly be?" Kenma said quietly while rubbing slow circles over the small tattoo on the taller boys skin. 

Kuroo hummed at the soft touch and then spoke up, "Maybe we we're both connected in some way in a past life or its because we both understand each other in a way nobody else does. I mean we both know what its like to be trapped and alone. I could be wrong but I feel like something could really happen... a positive change for the both of us." 

Kenma thought carefully about what Kuroo had just said. Kenma wanted things to change for the better. He wanted things to work out, he was sick of constantly being alone but it was something he had to live with and get over. What was holding him back was the fear of attachment and being abandoned. He didn't want to gain feelings for this person and then have it taken away like so many times before. 

"Hey I still haven't seen your mark Kenma! That's no fair you've seen mine but I haven't seen yours." Kuroo pouted and squeezed Kenmas hand pulling him out of his train of thought. Kenma looked up at the taller boy and sighed. 

"Its just a bunch of paw prints going down my back." Kenma spoke like it wasn't that big of a deal. Kuroo's eyes widened and he got extremely excited like a little kid in their first toy store. He kept squeezing Kenmas hands and smiled big at him. 

"Now I have to see the mark! Please show me! Just for a minute!" Kuroo was so excited and Kenma didn't understand why. He was just shocked at how happy he looked and how cute his smile was. That smile could blind someone for days and Kenma could swear he was going to go blind. 

"I guess I'll show you if it'll calm you down..." Kenma then turned around back facing Kuroo, he bit his lip and slowly pulled the black t-shirt over his head exposing his bare back. He hissed at the cold air that hit his back but then was met by warm fingers grazing his skin. The fingers started at the back of his neck and slowly lead down his back stopping in the middle and rubbing slow circle's with what Kenma guessed was Kuroo's pointer finger. Kenma hummed at the warmth of his touch. It was strange because Kenma never liked contact from anybody. He always tensed up or shied away when someone came near him or tried to touch him, but this was different. Kuroo's touch was completely different, it was full of warmth and a feeling of safety. 

Kenma was the first to speak. "C-can I put the shirt back on now?"

Kuroo stared at the paw prints and circled one a last time and removed his hand. "Oh uhm yeah sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and watched as Kenma put his shirt back on. He had to hold in a laugh because honestly the shirt swallowed Kenma. Kenma sat back in his seat and messed with his glass of water while the room suddenly got very quiet.

"I now understand why you got paw prints as your mark." Kuroo said finally breaking the tension. Kenma just looked up at him and nodded. Kuroo took it as he could continue and so he did.

"One day I was walking home from school to my secret hideout, it was a very bad day for me and so I wanted to go to my place where I knew no one would find me. Once I got there I went to my spot and I found a black kitten curled in a ball in one of my boxes I had left with some of my magazines. I was about 10 at the time and I was so intrigued by the small little kitten. I sat down next to the box and the kitten sat up and jumped out of the box. I was scared that I had startled it but before I could worry it was cuddled in my lap, purring away. I noticed that the kitten was very unhealthy and so I took it home with me. I showed my mom the kitten since she was a vet and she fed it and told me that I needed to take care of the kitten and that we could keep the cat at our house but I had to hide it from my father. That cat was my best friend. As cliché as it sounds, she was. School was such a stressful and hard place for me and I always looked forward to coming home and being with my cat. She always calmed me down and made me feel okay. One day I came home and my mom told me that my dad had found out about my cat and that he took her far away from the house. I never saw the kitten again. That cat was the only thing I ever cared about. It was my piece of happiness I knew I could look forward to when I got home. I was devastated and upset with myself for not protecting the kitten from my father. I constantly found myself drawing paw prints in all of my notebooks. I don't know what it was but I just always drew them like the ones on your back..." Kenma watched Kuroo talk with careful and soft eyes. He was so intrigued by the story and Kuroo's pleasant voice. Kenma didn't know what to say to Kuroo except to apologize.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Kenma spoke to Kuroo. Kenma looked up at Kuroo and felt his heart speed up a little as their eyes met. He quickly looked away as if Kuroo's eyes could see through him. Kuroo laughed a little.

"You sure do apologize a lot Kenma even though nothing is your fault." Kenma looked up at Kuroo and he gave the smaller boy a soft smile.

"This is the first time I've actually had a deep conversation with someone like this. Not many people usually listen to me they just tell me what to do and don't listen to what I have to say." Kuroo spoke to Kenma in a thick tone laced with pain. Kenma knew exactly how he felt. His parents and everyone around him always told him what to do with his life and never listened to how he felt about it.

"I understand exactly what you mean. Everyone telling you how to run your life and not listening to what you want to do." Kuroo jerked up at that and met Kenmas eyes again. They stayed like that for a bit and then Kuroo broke the silence.

"I guess we do have a lot in common. More than I actually thought. I want to get to know more about you Kenma." Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck suddenly nervous. Kenma was shocked, nobody had ever wanted to know more about him let alone actually talk to him.

"I-I wouldn't mind getting to know you either." Kenma mumbled, loud enough for the other to hear.

Kuroo looked at the clock on the wall and decided he should probably clean up their mess. "As much as I want to keep you here and continue talking to you I feel that I should take you home since you probably have a lot of things to do." He grinned at Kenma and picked up their plates and put them in the sink to wash them off. Kenma wanted to stay longer but it hit him just then that he had a lot of work he needed to finish and study for. He suddenly started shaking and tried to keep himself calm but when Kuroo looked at him he seemed to notice.

"What's wrong?" Kuroo softly spoke to Kenma making his way back from the kitchen sink and next to Kenma. Kenma covered his face with his hands trying somehow to not think of all the work he had to do.

"I don't want it to happen again... I don't want to have another panic attack. I know it will happen. I don't want to feel weak, I want to be able to do my work without freaking out..." Kenmas words came out in panicked breaths. His body started to shake even more. Kuroo suddenly enveloped Kenma into a hug rubbing slow circles on his back.

"Shhh. Breathe Kenma. It's okay, don't think about any of your work right now. Concentrate on your breathing." Kenma leaned into Kuroo's hug. It was warm just like last nights. He tried to even out his breathing and concentrate on something other than his college work. He took a deep breath and was suddenly surrounded by what he assumed was Kuroo's scent. It sparked something in him, it instantly calmed him down. Kuroo's scent worked its way through Kenmas body and he could feel himself breathing normal and finally stopped shaking.

Kuroo noticed Kenma stopped shaking and muttered into the top of his head, "I will be here to help you through all of this, if you ever find yourself beginning to panic know that I am here to help you. I want to be someone you can rely on. We are tied by some kind of string of fate and I want to prove that. We didn't get these marks for no reason." Kuroo hugged Kenma a little tighter as he felt something click inside of him, something that made him feel like he had finally found someone worth protecting again.


End file.
